Happy Birthday Melanie

At age - late 30's- Melanee never dreamed she would celebrate a birthday with three 16-month babies constantly surrounding her and begging for attention.  Well, that was her life this February 27 --- Happy Birthday to you!!!!

The kids presented her with balloons.

Jesse even offered to vacuum the floor.

They can be so quiet at times

and who can resist hugging LaLa with hair like this.

We love you Melanee and know that these days are stressful; hang in there fun times are ahead and so are more birthdays!

Love
Mom and Dad Schaefermeyer

Happy Birthday Tyce

Wow, number 4 already!  Happy Birthday Tyce.  What an adventurous young man you are.  We love you and especially love those hugs you always give us.

Happy Birthday Ali

Happy Birthday Ali; the big number 6.
This is one cute girl!  Love her new earrings; they are blue and light up her eyes.

Happy Birthday Brittney

A Happy Birthday to our Brittney!!!
We love you and are always amazed at the energy and creativity you have!

The Harrowing Adventure of Ocotillo Wells, California

February 8, 2017 - Octotillo Wells, California, ATV Desert Adventure
Octotillo Wells is 800+ acres of desert ATV riding - sand dunes, roads, hot water springs, geological formations, canyon trails and lots and lots of miles of driving.
 Naturally, we (meaning Theron) do not like to stay on groomed trails; the adventure is getting off into mesas and canyons.  We followed the map to the "high skills" area and were having a great time with a little challenge.  All was well and good until we headed back to the park station.  It seems that in our driving we had gone far enough that the trail back was now across a wide mesa canyon.  The guys got out and scouted the area and could find only one "possible" way down.  I was talking with the girls and not paying attention to this effort.  Theron comes over, tells me to get my helmet on and says we're leaving.  Okay.  (Never trust him when you think it is back to find the road we entered on.)  His leaving was to traverse the "straight down" (literally) trail that had boulders at the bottom and it looked like no way out --- they could hear me scream for miles "But, it's straight doooooowwwwwwnnnnn!"

Okay, we made it to bottom without rolling over.  Now to traverse the boulders and narrow passes to get our way out.  The first turn was at a good 45 degree angle all the way.  Then it was put my hand out and push us off a boulder.  Then it was Theron getting out and looking at spots for tire placement.  Okay, my seat was getting warm at this time -- can't say why!  Finally after a good 10-15 minutes we made it to the bottom and onto the main trail.  Hummm, no one else in the group followed us; go figure.

Okay, now we are at the bottom on the road rolling along and making good time doing it.  The sun is slowly setting in the west and it's just a few miles further to the park starting point.  "Theron, stay on the trail."  "It's just a little hill," he responds.  Over, down, narrow, sand and the bottom, fender and right front tire plow into the sand, right front tire says Psssssh and breaks the seal around the rim - it's flat.

I walk on one ridge, Theron walks on another and I yell at him.  He calmly says, "are you finished?"  No, but what more needs to be said.  No one in site for miles, the rest of our group is going a different way home, cell service is spotty at best.

Theron goes into McGyver mode and drives the RZR about 10 feet and positions that Razor so that the flat front tire is off the ground.  He then gets our 12V pump out and begins to put air in the tire and work the tire onto the rim.  I stand and observe from my mountain top.  All at once I hear a POP and the seal on the tire is back in place.  I am always grateful for his skills.  Yes, I will get back into the RZR and go off into the sunset.

My heart rate had a good test today; my mind not so much.  Guess it's like a pregnancy, when it's over you forget the pain and anguish so you can do it again.

The Journey South

Mid-January we left St. George for Quartsite, Yuma and Phoenix.  We are traveling with Steve and Jackie who made lots of new travel buddies at the Heber Girls Camp (HVC), so we are tagging along with them and making new friends.  Well, low and behold, one of their friends is Richard and Wendy Poll.  Richard and I went to school together from kindergarten to graduating from high school.  I haven't seen him in almost 50 years (as 2018 will be our 50th reunion year).  What fun to get reacquainted and get to know him better - he was one of the best basketball and football players and I was, well, just a class member.  No, really he was a a very kind person then and is an even kinder now.

Our first stop was Lake Havasu City, Arizona.  The HVC group likes to dry camp so we find ourselves in some desert wilderness camp area where it's an ATV drive to everywhere.  We are now traveling with Brett and Lori Simonson and Mike and Kathryn Monfredi.  After a week in cold and rain; as the desert is getting blasted with a cold front and rainy weather, we travel further south to Quartzite.

I love the cactus!

Now this is the first time I've ever been to Quartzite - the old people camping site of the world.  I've heard stories from Grandpa Schaefermeyer and my parents, but now is the time for me to experience it.  I am not disappointed.  There are literally miles and miles of motorhomes, travel trailers, 5th wheels, campers and everything in between populated by "old" couples - you know the 70s and higher set, not us young people still in our 60s.  Even though it was further south, the weather did not change - cold and rain.  How far south do we have to go?

 The line of ATVs, note we are all in winter clothes still.

After a only 6 days of Quartzite, we have seen everything, done everything and frozen everything.  South young travelers, south!  On to Yuma.  We now find ourselves on the north side of Yuma, Arizona, again dry camping - Steve and Jackie had a family problem so they needed to go back to Utah; we gave up our RV park reservation and followed the HVC people to the desert for more dry camping.  Theron is in heaven; I'm okay as long as the water and potty hold out.

There is a hope of warmer weather and as of today, January 31, we have finally found it - 70 degrees.  Friends of our new friends have been taking us on ATV rides and the sites are really beautiful - not Samoa beautiful, but desert beautiful.

 This is a slot canyon we drove down; not much of a challenge but reminded us of Lake Powell slot canyons.

This was a great hike.

Tonight we just found out that we will not be going to Phoenix, we will stay in Yuma a few more days and go back to St. George.  We don't want to be alone in Phoenix; the new friends are excited to keep us.  Theron has been actively playing McGyver and fixing things.  Warmest thoughts of you all back in Utah.

The beginning of 2017

All the best years begin January 1.  The year of 2017 has now begun and we have entered it with our hearts and souls.  We left the snow in South Jordan (and there have been lots of it this year) and moved to St. George.  We started the new year with a dinner party with Woods, Christensens and Duerdens.  Going south was a good idea to get away from the snow, but not away from the cold and rain.  The grandkids celebrated with hats and noise, also

Well, that's the first week of January.  It's now the end of January when I finally get around to writing again and we are now as far as Yuma, Arizona, and it's still cold.  This has been the longest January and the coldest one in a long time.  Now, let's turn things around and I'm now going to be happier and more positive because traveling and enjoying our time right now is a fun time.

Back home, the snow is piling up.  It's a good water year.  Mason is so hungry that he's even eating the snowman's nose!  Todd and Taylor keep shoveling and will soon have to walk up hill to get to the front door.

The saga of the pickup truck:
We bought a new 2016 Chevy pickup because we knew we would be traveling a lot and wanted the comfort and dependability of a new truck.  Well, the park brake destroyed itself and that was a week in the shop.  Just before Christmas we had a steering problem and took the truck to Murdock.  After having the truck for a week, they told us it was a major steering part and they could not get another part very soon.  By January 11, we had, had enough and talked to the general manager and now are driving a new 2017 Chevy truck that was manufactured after the steering line problems.  Enough said about the pickup.

Curt is now 39:
Happy Birthday Curt.  What a great son, husband, and father he has really grown into his own and is making a great dad - the chocolate pudding tells it all.  It worked out great for us that it was the 11th that we had to travel up north.  It was a fun time to be there for Curt's birthday and his smoked pork.  Yup, he's smoking the meat with his new smoker!  Poor Mel, she has four kids!

We know this is going to be a bad winter so we have decided to join the ranks of the snowbirds!  We are going south.  Continue reading as we adventure our winter travels.  As we leave this blog, just a few pictures to preserve our memories.  The triplets bid us goodbye and then immediately strip down for some stair streaking.

 The new stairs leading to the playroom, Kacy is still being blocked.

 Kacy is shaking the grate telling us she wants to go with us.  Or, maybe she just wants to get Brittney's attention.

Here's our sign.